Last month, the Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) waged a guerilla-advertising war against what they call an illegal one in Iraq. Early on October 11, a seven-member brigade from its LA chapter formed Operation W.A.N.T. (We Are Not Toys) and set a dramatic stage for early-morning customers at a local gas station.

In black t-shirts and ski masks, the group arranged 4,200 miniature toy soldiers on the pavement accompanying signs that read, "The Price of Gas: 4171 US Soldiers." (On its website, IVAW is quick to point out that since the action, that number has grown to 4,193.)

This is what went down:

There are many reasons this campaign succeeds. It begins with IVAW's authority on the matter. These aren't just a bunch of liberal college kids with Pace flags flying from their dorm room windows. (For the record, I have no problem with that either.) They served the country; they saw the flaws and inequities first-hand, from the inside or the front lines. Then they spoke out—to dramatic effect.

The goal was to show Americans what 4,171 soldiers look like and connect them, through the number of casualties, to the country's dependence on foreign oil. The campaign is authentic from the veterans' delivery of the message to its execution. It parallels the way IVAW members view the war itself: an illegal occupation of a space they're not meant to be in. However, the campaign delivers its message based on fact and experience, while they believe the Iraq war is based on lies and deception.

With all the bullshit and rhetoric in the media these days, it's hard to always know what the truth is. Here, however, this liberal, Pace flag-waving kid will go with the experienced group. (Via)